Not the kind of introduction you’d want at a speaking engagement.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got the worst into ever from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger:
“Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator.”
He went on to attack Ahmadinejad’s moronic views on the holocaust, saying that they only appeal to the illiterate and ignorant. He added:
“When you come to a place like this it makes you simply ridiculous. The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history.”
And this is during his introduction. I mean, I respect Bollinger for taking a stand against a dangerous, bigoted and homophobic theocrat. But you’ve got to wonder why he would agree to intro Ahmadinejad if he hated the guy so much. Really sets the tone for a great speech.
Oh well. I guess he had a chance to speak his mind, and took it. It would’ve been awesome/awkward/awesome again to watch Ahmadinejad talk his way out of that lead-in. Ouch.
As it turned out, Ahmadinejad took a bad start and made it worse. During his speech, he claimed that gay people ‘don’t exist’ inside of Iran. Never mind the 4,000 or so gay men and women executed by the Ayatollahs since 1979.
So, right on, Bollinger. Way to make the idiot squirm.
UPDATE [25/09/07]: Al Jazeera provides a fairly balanced summary of Ahmadinejad’s US visit so far.
As the President of a world class University,Mr.Bollinger demonstrated his stupid,bigotry,ballantantly disrespectful to a leader of a nation…etc. It shows how he used the media to be a champion and a hero in his country.He showed his arrogance.If you hate him so much then dont invite him at all for gods sake….or was there a different agenda.The US prides itself in free speach, equality etc…but time and time again it shows the complete opposite and this episode says it all …again.In the next few days Mr.Bollinger will be a Media “star” as people will pat his back and say how brave he was to stand up agains a tyrant etc! Yeah sure, you invite him to your turf, have him seated right where you want him for all to see and then you lamblasted and insult him on stage infront of a big audience and the media ! Is that the hospitality of the American Society..as it was potrayed by a man of distinction from the high echelons of USA’s society !To prove my point,all that was said in the article is about what bollinger said i.e he said this and that…wow the public will eat it up and say what a brave man he is…and by the way save a few sentences….in fact lets just summarrised it to what we want the public to think and reaffirm their hatred for this man !Again “Democracy The USA Way” !Give him a chance to sya what he wants and debate with him on each point that he had said.If that is done in a profeesional way, it will show what a great University, society the US is all about.Being fair but firm in your opinions etc.But alas you showed the John Wayne style of Democracy !The next you will hear is bollinger will get a congressional medal of honor for his bravery to stand up against a man in his own backyard.Funny but true.
I am sure there are many Americans who would agree with what I have said, but they are the silent majority I am afraid.The US is a great country and I look up to them..but for the past few decades they have made me sad.A great nation like the US whose influence & integrity being eroded on a daily basis.
Why is that you empathise/sympathise with a nation ,namely Israel,that has more weapons of mass destruction then any middle east nation. I do agree they to have the right to exist but they get away with murder evryday and they are allowed to attack another country, occuppy it and subject the population to sheer hardship and when they fight back…they are called terrorist.Imagine the US being subjected t6o the same treatment..would then just lie low with bowed heads and just allow everything to happen? Look at whyat you just did….. for gods sake you attacked a country i.e. Iraq,because they “possess” WMD…the US had the cheek to lie about their evidence in front of the world…even after the head of the UN Nuclear Inspectors said …there is no WMD in Iraq. Till today you were proven wrong i.e.no WMD in Iraq and come on guys the Saddam was a saint compared to what the US had killed,maimed and injured everyday in Iraq..a war you will never ever win.I guess Vietnam has not taught the nation a life long lesson.But to make matter worst..Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.That is clear
The US WILL attack Iran.Its a matter of time.Why you might ask.Becuz they need a boost to their economy that has been hurting for the past several months…and what bettter way to “make money” then during a war ! How sad but it will happen the same way as Iraq…the US will show yet another “proof” of Iran making a nuclear bomb etc. Hey when I have both Iran & Iraq goverment(selected by the US as this is Democracy the USA Way !) under my string..I have all the oil in the world to use cheaply to pollute the world and bring mother earth to its knees…who cares about global warming etc. anyway I have not signed nor agree top any environment document becuz I am the greates polluter of all !
Dude its polemics on the homosexuality. He said “we dont have the homosexual problems like you do here” Not No homosexuals in Iran. The translator got it wrong.
I agree with Hassan Hussain. The president of the university was rude, insulting to a guest he himself invited. Is this what American Culture and University environment has morphed into. Let the people decide one way or the other. I thought the intention of inviting him to speak was to start a conversation and exchange of ideas. let us not forget we will not fix the Iraq mess without Iran.
Weere we invited into Iraq? We decided to attack the country. I do not agree with Ahmadinejad either. I think the guy is arrogant, ignorant and an idiot. But why insuly your guest in your own home. I think President of Columbia University should go back to school and study hospitatlity.
And by the way I am not a muslim or am from Iran.
Guys, the president of Columbia University was only saying what I would guess most people in this country think about Ahmadinejad. If Ahmadinejad didn’t expect it, he must have been oblivious to popular opinion. If he did, he owed it to himself to defend his image. But I still can’t find anything in print that shows that Ahmadinejad actually had a good retort.
And Hassan — yeah free speech, exactly, so why couldn’t Ahmadinejad use his words to defend himself against Bollinger’s words? It’s not like he was being suppressed. The man had the podium!
Bollinger was disgraceful. While I completley support his criticisms of Ahmadinejad, he nonetheless engaged in low brow tactics and completley railraoded Ahmadinejad. The University as an instituion is about free debate. You do not invite someone to speak and then denounce them in your introduction of the very same person. Bollinger did a great diservice to acedemia. Disgrace!!
I personally am not a fan of Ahmadinejad, but regardless, his introduction by the president of Columbia was a little abrasive. Why did he invite him to the forum if he was only interested in insulting him? Won’t his harsh comments only deepen the political rift between the U.S and Iran?
Bollinger was out of line for a president of a University and to say Ahmadinejad got worse is wrong. Ahmadinejad got fair enough applause from the audience to the end.
I think Boolinger took unfair advantage of an opportunity to be seen as a “hero” for taking a stand against an obvious target. There is no honour in that. Shame on him.
I believe in freedom of speech, but I DON’T believe in taking advantage of an opportunity to smear someone. Why invite Ahmadinejad to speak at all? Why ask him to come over and share ideas (controversial and not at all in line with what I PERSONALLY believe) but ideas none-the-less, when all he wanted to do was belittle him in front of a captive audience?
Why not just call him up and say, “Hey, here’s what I think of you” and be done with it? I’ll tell you why. He wanted the attention, and now he’s got it.
To all peace lovers.
the catastrophy in our world is wrong information that people get from media which are orginized on getting all natural sorces by war and murder. I don’t want Mr. Ahamdinejad to insist on justice for palestinian more than their leaders , but he is in love with justic.Mr. Bollinger showed his ignorance on calling him as dictator. May be he did it to get big money from zionists.His family will admire him for his bravery.
“…a dangerous, bigoted and homophobic theocrat”. Whoo, you know how to convey information(?) in short bits. Make Polemics, not Politics! That perfectly describes the mindset of at least a minority of Americans and their total disregard for what “enemies” are thinking – however alien – and why they are thinking it.
As for widening any diplomatic rift, I don’t think there is much to widen judging by the US warmongering as perceived in Europe. And whatever the Bollingers say, meeting such as this are rare opportunities to gather first-hand experience as opposed to the media sing-song of prefabricated opinions. It may prevent the killing of another 2 million people like in Vietnam in another useless war that would be the next step into the quagmire of Oil for Blood. Ahmadinejad has two faces like every politician, but he is decidedly in the less dangerous position.
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